Crown of Moonlight (Court of Midnight and Deception #2) - K.M. Shea Page 0,16
head.
I hesitated, but while I was reasonably sure Rigel wouldn’t hurt me, and I wasn’t too afraid of him, I was very aware of the hard boundaries between us, and I wasn’t going to push it for the sake of seeing how he felt about the pair.
No—I’d save that little push for something far more important.
Like figuring out who had hired him to try to kill me when the night mares first started showing up around me.
The party lasted until the early hours of the morning and—according to Skye and Indigo—it was a hit.
I was just glad everyone had fun—the Drakes wouldn’t have stayed that long if they weren’t—and I’d even found a spare half hour with Josh, who took me out to the shooting range for a quick practice session.
Everything I’d learned about pistols and sidearms—including the one I owned and carried to all Night Court social functions—was taught to me by Josh. Needless to say, it was an extremely instructional half hour.
As a result, I was in a really good mood the following day, whistling to myself and jingling my truck keys as I left the cool, air-conditioned mansion for the hot, mid-morning, August air.
I clutched my folder of papers and made a noise of dislike at the back of my throat as the day’s building humidity swept around me like a soggy blanket. “Steve, Muffin, are you two sure you want to come?” I asked.
The shade and gloom—who’d spent the scant hours I’d slept silently prowling around my room—skulked after me. Steve’s shadowy black fur was more of a charcoal color under the glare of the sun, and a tuft of fur fell off Muffin as I watched.
Both of them determinedly followed me down the excessively long driveway—Steve’s front paws were a distinct shade of gray, which made her trot adorable.
“I’ll leave the truck running for you so it won’t get hot, but I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a boring wait,” I said.
Steve peered back over her shoulder, looking at something behind us, so I wasn’t too shocked when Rigel spoke.
“Where are you going?”
I paused at the edge of the driveway, next to a bunch of tulips that were flowering out of season—fae magic! “Rigel—good morning.”
Rigel stood behind me, a well cut figure of black in the bright and cheerful morning. I wasn’t thrilled to see he’d changed to the long, fitted jacket with the slit going up the back which he only seemed to wear when doing assassin-y things, but his silvery hair was pushed back, giving him a slightly more casual air as he stared me down.
Since he didn’t seem likely to return my greeting, I cleared my throat and set one hand on Steve’s shoulders. “We’re going into Magiford. I have some paperwork I need to drop off at the Curia Cloisters.”
He blinked. “You are the Night Queen. Send one of your employees.”
“Ahaha, it’s not quite that simple.” I waggled my folder at him as Muffin affectionately butted her head against my thigh. “I need to renew my registration as a half fae half human. If I don’t get it submitted correctly there could be trouble.”
“And you don’t trust your people to do it?”
I shrugged. “It’s important. And while I’m sure Skye or Indigo could do it, they might be bothered by other fae.”
He watched me for several long moments, the darkness of his eyes completely unreadable.
I fidgeted and took one side step closer to the giant garage that my truck was parked in.
Is he done? Can I leave, or do I need to say something else to him?
“I’ll come with.”
My stomach did this fun flippy thing it does when my anxiety spikes. “You’ll what?”
“I’ll come.” Rigel passed me, ghosting toward the garage with soundless steps.
I gawked at his back for a moment, then hurried to catch up. “But I was also going to stop at my favorite café and get some coffee—and go to the library.”
Rigel glanced at me as I caught up to him. “The library?”
“I have a bunch of books about leadership on hold and ready for me to pick up.”
“And you didn’t just buy them?”
“Yeah, because it’s free to borrow them from the library.”
Rigel stared me down. “You’re concerned about buying books after all the money you spent on last night’s party?”
“Yes, Mr. Judgy, I am! You might not know since no one ever tried to drag you into the political muck due to your…previous career, but the Night Court is dead broke! I have to be economical